Salmon poached just to the point of doneness is unrivaled for its silken smoothness. Served hot, it benefits from a rich pairing like lemony butter sauce, but at this time of year it’s perfect served chilled with a creamy dill sauce.
Many home cooks are daunted by the thought of poaching fish, but there’s really just one rule: Don’t overcook it.
The key to flavorful results is the poaching liquid, called a court bouillon (literally “short boil”) in French. It is usually a mixture of water, white wine, onion, celery and carrot plus parsley, bay leaf and thyme.
The court bouillon simmers for 30 minutes before the food to be poached is added to allow the flavors of the vegetables and herbs to infuse the liquid. It can be made in advance and reused; keep it refrigerated for up to five days or frozen for up to two months. Either way, be sure to bring it to a boil before reusing.
The ideal temperature for poaching liquid is 175 to 185 degrees, well below the boiling point of 212 degrees. Only the tiniest bubbles are visible and the surface shimmers rather than simmers during cooking. Use an instant-read thermometer to guide you.
Most of us don’t own a fish poacher, but a large skillet, a nonreactive lasagne pan or a small turkey roaster that can be used on top of the stove will do the trick.
Here are more tips:
Choose thick fillets cut from the area closer to the head of the fish; the meat near the tail is thin and dries out easily.
If you’re poaching a whole fish or large fillets, cut a piece of heavy-duty aluminum foil long enough to overhang the pan, fold it in half and place it on the pan bottom. When the fish is done, lift it with the foil for easy removal.
Test for doneness after 8 to 10 minutes if your fish is 1 inch thick, 6 to 8 minutes if it’s 3/4-inch thick: Insert a cake tester into the center and leave it for five seconds. It should meet with little resistance and feel hot but not burning when touched to your lip. Or it should register 140 degrees on an instant thermometer.
If serving hot, remove fish from the liquid immediately. For fish to be moist when served cold, remove it from the heat before it’s completely cooked and allow it to cool in the cooking liquid for a short time.
Poached Salmon with Dill Sauce
Round out the meal with sliced ripe tomatoes and potato salad. Penfold’s Yattarna 2003 Chardonnay would pair nicely with the salmon. The sauce and fish can be made a day ahead and refrigerated separately, tightly covered.
Ingredients
DILL SAUCE:
COURT BOUILLON:
SALMON:
Directions
Mix the sauce ingredients in a small bowl to blend. Season to taste with salt and pepper and refrigerate, covered.
Combine the court bouillon ingredients in a large, deep skillet.
Bring to a simmer over medium heat; reduce to a bare simmer and cook 30 minutes. Remove it from the heat to cool slightly (to about 180 degrees).
Place salmon fillets, skin side down, in skillet; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cover skillet tightly and adjust heat to maintain liquid at about 180 degrees (surface will shimmer, not simmer). Cook until fish is just opaque in center, about 7 minutes. Remove from heat; let stand, covered, 5 minutes.
Transfer salmon to platter using a slotted spatula. (Cooking liquid can be reused; refrigerate up to 5 days or freeze up to 2 months.) Cover salmon with plastic wrap and chill until cold, at least 4 hours. Serve with dill sauce, garnishing with lemon slices and dill sprigs. Makes 6 servings.
